Water and Steel
by KeiKei-Chan
Summary: Having lived a childhood of solitude, Naoko feels out of place when Sasuke recruits her for Team Taka. She immediately feels a connection to another member, Suigetsu- but how will she cope?  -Yes, I suck at summaries... read to get a better view.


**Note- so hey everyone. Haven't written too much in a while, so I may be a little rusty. Feedback is appreciated. Hope you enjoy...**

It was just another day. Another twenty-four hours out of my life wasted.

I would have much preferred to train outside as I usually did, but no. No, I wasn't allowed. My father's restaurant was low on employees so I had to do a shift. A whole day's worth. I was stuck walking around from table to table, asking stupid, dim-witted people what they wanted to eat. Not my idea of fun, really. At least there weren't any extra work uniforms- I much preferred to wear my usual training clothes.

"Naoko!"

I sighed and glanced at my fellow employee, the name of whom I had already forgotten. She'd been pestering me all day. "What? What do you want?"

The girl looked at me as if it were totally obvious, flipping her hair disdainfully over her shoulder. "What do you think? Get back to work!"

"But there's nothing to be done."

"Of course there is! Go serve some new customers. Take out the food."

I rolled my eyes in contempt, sneering. "There are no new customers to be served, and the food is currently in preparation. You should know. You're making it."

"Well," the girl began, seeing she had been overthrown, "do... something!"

I snickered as she stormed off, kicking a cardboard box on the way. Who did she think she was, anyway, bossing me around? She was just jealous of my power, of course. Who wouldn't be? I did have an advanced nature kekkei genkai, definitely something to be proud of. And my numerous other release techniques. Yup, I wasn't one to be messed with.

"Naoko! Goddamn, are you blind?"

My god, how many times did people have to interrupt me in my thoughts? No one was the boss of me.

"Naoko, you idiot, are you deaf, too? Go serve the new customers!"

I glanced back over my shoulder at the man sitting in the front desk who had just addressed me. Technically he _was _the boss of me- my adoptive father, if you will. Only took me in because he was getting paid for it. I had moved out because of his abuse, but he still treated me like I still lived with him.

Muttering derogatory terms that aren't appropriate to be named, I glanced around, located the new customers, grabbed some menus, and walked to their table.

They weren't like our usual customers- they were different. (Because really, who in their right mind would visit this hell-hole of a town anyway?) And by different I mean... really different. There were four of them- a girl with bright red hair styled in an atrocious manner, a tall, well-muscled boy with spiky orange hair, a thin, serious-looking black-haired boy, and another lean boy with gripping violet eyes and straight, white-blue hair.

"What can I get you guys to start off with?" I asked charmingly, putting the menu booklets down in front of them, having forgotten my anger. These people were too fascinating. I had to talk to them more.

And they all ordered water. No "please," no smiles. I was going out of my way to be nice here. And what did I get? Nothing. So I went to the kitchen to get four glasses of water and returned to their table momentarily.

I grinned, trying to get them to show any emotion whatsoever. The girl looked pissed, but I didn't care about her. It was the guys I was trying to talk to. "Are you ready to-"

My fellow employee bounded up and shoved me out of the way. I wound up on the floor.

"Are you ready to order?" she cooed, eyeing the boy with the black hair. "Or should I give you more time?"

The boy with purple eyes glanced over his shoulder at me quickly, as if considering helping me up, and turned back to the other worker, a slightly annoyed tone to his voice. "We need more time."

"Alright," swooned the girl, batting her eyelashes at the dark-haired boy. "Call me if you need anything."

I sneered as she flounced away, her hips swaying. The group of four seated in the booth nearby glanced at me as I got up and brushed my self off. I couldn't bring myself to look away from the gaze of the purple-eyed boy; there was something about him that drew me in, though I couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Sorry," I apologized, rolling my eyes in the direction my fellow employee had gone. "She's a jerk. Just ignore her."

The red-haired grin clenched her teeth, and the violet-eyed boy replied, amused, "Sasuke gets that a lot."

My eyes widened a bit- was this really him? "Uchiha Sasuke? The one who killed Orochimaru?"

The dark-haired boy who I assumed to be Sasuke glanced to me and nodded curtly.

"Nice job," I grinned, slightly impressed. "You must be powerful. He was strong."

"You knew him?" questioned Sasuke coldly.

I shrugged like it was no big deal. "Yes. I served him on missions."

Sasuke looked at me carefully, a calculating look in his onyx eyes, and said nothing.

"So," I said, stretching out the vowel, "If you need anything, I'll be back in a few. I'll make sure that the other worker stays out of your way."

As I walked away I could feel their gazes on my back, and as soon as I disappeared into the staff room I could hear the quiet chatter of their voices. I snickered and sat down on a plastic crate.

The kitchen door slammed, accompanied by stomping feet, and in stormed the other employee. I grinned nastily at her.

"That table is _mine,_" she hissed, clenching her fists and tensing up, a display that was supposed to intimidate. "That black-haired boy is _mine_. Don't talk to him. Don't say a word."

I raised my hands and gave her a withering look, a smirk on my lips. "Relax... uh... Ayame... Ayumi... A-"

"Azumi!" she snapped.

"Right. Azumi. Don't freak out. I don't want him. You can have him."

The girl sneered at me, her lips curling, and disappeared back into the kitchen. "Like you'd have chance!" I called after her.

Either she was deaf or she had ignored me, because she didn't come back out. I waited a few more minutes and returned to the table I had previously been to. As soon as I opened the door their conversation hushed a bit, their eyes turned to me once again.

"What can I get you?" I asked, judging that they had decided by the menus piled neatly in the corner of the table.

The boy with the orchid eyes answered first. He was the only one who seemed benevolent- his other three comrades seemed too serious. "Just a yogurt."

"Onigiri," Sasuke said simply.

"Mkay. Anything else?"

The table was silent. I took that as a no.

I nodded, flashing a mischievous grin at the boy who had ordered first, picked up the stack of menus, and returned to the staff room, bumping into Ayumi- or whoever she was- as I opened the door.

She glared daggers at me, stepping forward, trying to intimidate me once again, but was forced to step back when I didn't move.

"You didn't just go to their table, did you?" she growled, pursing her lips. I could feel Sasuke's table's eyes on me once again.

I took a step forward, snickering as the much taller girl stepped back. "I did. Have a problem?"

Ayumyi- or was it Ayame? I forget- she tried to step forward once more, but backfired again. "I _told_ you not to-"

"Look, buddy," I sighed, picking uninterestedly at my black nail-polish, "you're not the boss of me. I'm not interested in that black-haired guy. Now step aside. I don't have all day. Or would you rather face my kekkei genkai?"

The girl glanced at the tattoo on my shoulder briefly, shot me one last glare, and stormed back into the kitchen, where she resumed preparing her food.

"Onigiri and yogurt," I called back to her. I could hear her grumbling faintly in reply and the chopping of a sushi knife on a cutting board.

"Naoko!" yelled my father from the front desk.

"What?" I bellowed back, poking my head out of the staff-room door.

The man's angry, weathered face sneered at me, frowning ferociously, the wrinkles on his forehead defined in such a way that made him resemble an elderly bulldog. "Don't yell at me, stupid child! Have you served all of our customers?"

I surveyed the room briefly, and seeing no new faces, answered, "Yes."

"Taken orders?"

"Yes."

"Given bills?"

"Yes."

"Checked upon everyone to see that things are well?"

"Yes. Now-"

"-Cleared-"

"-Goddamn, man," I barked, my patience running thin, "I've done everything. Leave me alone!"

He didn't protest as I slammed the door in haste. The restaurant was silent for a few moments, and momentarily the enthusiastic chatter of the people rose up again as if nothing had happened. I sneered to myself and kicked a box across the room, where it landed and made others come tumbling down from their neatly-stacked piles. Ayumi- I won't even bother correcting myself anymore- opened her mouth to shoot a retort at me, but took it back and continued making the requested meals. I walked up to the counter that seperated the kitchen and the staff-room, waiting. Soon the girl placed the two dished in front of me, not meeting my challenging gaze. I grabbed them and took off.

As I neared the table I could hear them talking- or rather one of them talking- the boy with the violet eyes; I could recognize from him voice. He couldn't see me, as he wasn't facing me- but the group-members opposite- Sasuke and the taller, muscled boy- could. They payed no attention to me as I neared.

"Damn, Sasuke, why do you get all the girls?" the boy complained, his tone thoughtful. "I don't get it."

The red-haired girl beside him sneered, elbowing him sharply. "Because he's not an idiot like you!"

Before anyone could say anything else, I slid quietly over, smirking, and placed the dishes on their table. "Actually, bud, I'm rather surprised you don't have any followers yourself."

The boy whirled over to look at me, surprised by my sly entrance. His mouth curved up into a haughty smirk, and he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by what's-her-face, who was waving a bit and jogging over from the staff-room. Without looking over, I thrust an elbow out. I could feel it dig into the girl's ribs. She huffed in surprise and stumbled back, caught off guard.

"So," I continued, cocking an eyebrow playfully. "Go on?"

Before his comrade could go on, Sasuke cut in, apparently addressing the tattoo on my shoulder. "I see you possess the Steel Release."

The table went silent. The other employee sniffed and flounced off, disappearing into the staff-room. I shrugged, nonchalant. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Where do you come from?" the dark-haired boy asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I... I have no idea. Orphan, remember? Not here, that's for sure. I hate it here. I don't feel like I belong here, anyway."

"Hn," the violet-eyed boy said, thoughtful. "You'd be a good opponent."

I smiled, flattered. "I'm often in the training fields. They're not too far off from the Raikage's office building. Pretty easy to find. Will you still be around in a few days?"

"Depends on my mission," the boy said, flashing me another playful smirk. "I'm sure I'll be able to find some time."

"Good. That'll be good, uh... sorry, don't believe I know your name..."

"Suigetsu," the boy replied.

"Suigetsu," I repeated, grinning. " Nice to meet you. I'm Naoko." I could practically hear the red-head beside him grind her teeth- my ears were quite sharp. I shot her a contemptuous grin. "Well, anyway, I'll leave you guys to eat. Enjoy."

And without glancing back I strode off, collecting empty plates from other tables as I went, and returned to the staff room. Azumi- yes, that was it- sat sulking on a crate. I scoffed to myself as I piled the dishes in the kitchen sink and went to sit beside her. She moved away.

"Only _you _would flirt with an Akatsuki member," Azumi grumbled, head in her hands.

I shook my head in a sort of good-humoured scorn, and replied, "You shouldn't be talking. You're the one who tried to hit it off with Sasuke."

The girl paused to look up at me, her dull eyes wide. "Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke?"

I nodded, bored. "Yes. The boy who killed Orochimaru."

Azumi was quiet for a moment, and then burst into excited squealing. "Oh my god! I had no idea! I can't believe it, he's-"

"Of course," I said, picking at my nails impassively, silencing her, "it's not worth it. You wouldn't be able to. If he hasn't showed any interest in me, then he definitely won't in you."

I glanced up briefly at the girl beside me. Her eyes were wet; she looked as if she was about to cry. I kept staring at her, waiting for a reply.

Finally, in a shaky voice, she said, "Why do you have to be so mean?"

I sighed and stretched, apathetic. "And why do you have to be so annoying?"

Azumi said nothing and kept staring at me. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Look. You try growing up an adopted child of an abusive father who only kept you for labour. You try being completely ignored with no sense of parental support whatsoever. Try living my life."

"A-aren't you at least s-sorry?" the girl sobbed, dabbing at her wet cheeks with a handkerchief. I could barely understand her.

I paused for a moment, grinned at her, and said, "No."

Azumi burst into a new lot of tears and fled the room. I watched her run out the front doors of the restaurant and onto the busy street. The manager- the man I was embarrassed to call my father- shot a nasty glare at me and jogged after her.

As I emerged from the staff room, I could feel countless pairs of eyes on me. I ignored them and kept on walking, collecting tips and empty dishes from the customers that had already gone.

"Hey, sweetie!"

I glanced back over my shoulder, in the process of piling up dirty plates. Suigetsu was looking at me eagerly, one strong arm raised in a kind of wave.

I sashayed over and leaned on the table, grinning. "What can I do for you?"

"Another yogurt would be nice," the boy said, pushing away his now-empty bowl, shooting me a charming smile. I noticed his teeth were sharp and pointed. That was something I hadn't seen in person before. A Swordsman of The Mist, maybe?

I grinned and gathered up the bowl, brushing my hair out of my face with my free hand. "Of course. Be right back."

As I turned to go back to the kitchen, I saw my manager had returned, though Azumi wasn't with him. As I neared he tensed up, uncrossing his arms and clenching his massive hands at his sides.

I stopped in front of him and set the plates on the counter, looking up at him, my hands on my hips; his bulky six-foot four dwarfed my slight five-foot three.

"Got a problem?" I challenged, cheekily cocking an eyebrow.

My father grabbed onto the neck of my shirt; I had seen it coming, but I let him. He couldn't hurt me.

I kept staring at him, grinning nastily.

Finally, seeing I wasn't going to say anything, he growled, pulling me closer, "Idiot. Why did you make her cry? You've made me lose another employee. We're short on employees as it is."

I narrowed my eyes as he drew back his other fist and glanced around- all attention was on us. "You wouldn't punch me in front of all these people, would you?"

"Apologize," he demanded.

I grinned pleasantly, stretching. "Nope. I did nothing wrong."

The man sneered, his lips curling, and drew back his hand even more- but I beat him to it; right before his knuckles hit my cheek I let my Steel Release take over. His fist made contact with my face, and,he immediately drew back back, releasing his grip on me, snarling in pain. Punching metal was not a pleasant feeling.

I smirked triumphantly, ignoring his gaze as I passed by, and made my way into the kitchen, dumped the dishes in the grimy sink, grabbed another yogurt from the the fridge and strode back into the main room where the customers sat. Everyone still staring at me- including the Akatsuki table.

"Here you go," I said, placing the yogurt on the table. "Enjoy."

Suigetsu grinned up at me, charmingly displaying those sharp teeth of his, and picked up a spoon, pointing it at me. "Thanks. That was pretty impressive."

I smiled back and let my kekkei g go, feeling it fade away, my skin returning to its normal pale hue.

Sasuke caught my gaze, his voice cold and disinterested. "I've never witnessed the Steel Release before. Do all instituted attacks have any effect on you?"

"No," I answered bluntly. "Nothing can harm me."

The boy nodded brusquely, considering this. The red-headed girl grumbled to herself, straightening her glasses. The boy with orange hair said nothing, looking at me curiously.

"We'd be good opponent matches," Suigetsu mumbled through a mouth of vanilla yogurt. "I'll-"

"Suigetsu," Sasuke interjected sharply, shooting a glare at his team-mate. "Enough of your yapping. You know we have matters to attend to."

The violet-eyed boy glanced quickly to his comrade in annoyance and followed his lead, getting up as the other boy had. I stepped back to give him room.

He grinned down at me and dug into his pocket, placing a bill and a few pieces of loose change on the table. I glanced at it quickly. It was exact.

"I'll see you around, then," I told him, reaching over to collect the payment and the empty dishes. "If you have time, don't forget about the training grounds. I'll be there early tomorrow morning or so."

Suigetsu nodded once, still wearing that confident smirk of his, and straightened the massive sword on his back in its strap, as if trying to show it off. "Yeah. I'll find the time."

His team-mates had already begun to walk away, and, with a hasty wave, he jogged towards them, eyeing my father as he left. I snickered to myself, gathered up the dirty plates, and walked towards the staff room again.

My father sneered at me as I passed. "Naoko. You will not talk to customers like that."

I rolled my eyes at him haughtily. "Says who?"

"Says me."

"After all that work I did raising you, you repay me with this attitude?"

"Raised me?" I scoffed, feeling a sudden surge of anger well up in me, an urge to throw the porcelain in my hands to the floor. "Excuse me? I would've rather been left on my own to die."

He said nothing as I went to dump the dishes in the kitchen, and then I returned to him, eager to carry on our argument.

"You know," he said softly, addressing his shoes, "after all we've been through... you know I love you."

I glanced at him indifferently.

"Right?"

"No," I stated simply, running a hand through my hair. "You do not love me. You never have. You are not my father. "

The man fixed me with an accusing glare, his eyes holding hurt. "I am ashamed to have you as a daughter, Naoko."

I growled, waved the thought away as if it were a fly, and replied in a mocking tone, "I love you too, daddy."

His eyes became wet, and I held in a snicker; that was the first time I had told him I loved him, and it had been completely sarcastic. That must have hurt. A lot.

I left without another word, slamming the door on my way out. He didn't try to stop me.


End file.
